Need help weaning a Grey

Hello everyone,

Sorry to bother you, but I recently got an African Grey from a breeder, he is not weaned and I am giving him Exact brand formula and trying to give him both pellets and small fruity pebbles looking food I got from my vet. He breaks them up but does not seem to eat them. I have been cooking carrots, cucumbers, and peas for him as well and placing them in his cage.

Had I known now (after reading this forum) I would never have taken him/her or listened to the breeder telling me its easy, no problem, and it is normal for parrot owners.

I am really not sure what to do to ensure he eats and drinks, again sorry for being so naive but I found conflicting information online (from Google searches) and I thought this would be the best place to ask and seek assistance.

I have also took his pelets and soaked them in warm water for a few minutes he does seem to chew on them but again I am not sure he is actually eating much of that.

Thank you for taking time to read this post and I welcome your guidance and advice.



Al

My best suggestion is to give him back to the breeder until he is fully weaned!

@itzjbean I would and actually tried but got a load of BS. So that is not really possible and the breeder is not of much help.

Where are you located in the world? Perhaps I could recommend a breeder to help guide you in your area on this. How old is the baby?

There are two types of weaning -- force weaning and abundance weaning. Abundance weaning is usually the best option for a healthier bird. It is allowing them to keep eating formula until they refuse it. Of course you'll want to do what you're doing by also encouraging new foods. SO at this point you should keep feeding formula (How many times a day do you feed him now?) and then continue offering different foods for him to try. There's a ton of different veggies and fruits you can try. Also give birdie bread a shot -- out of the oven its soft, warm like the formula and tasty. . It is a good sign that he is picking at the food, perhaps he just need a couple more weeks with formula.

@itzjbean I am in Bangkok Thailand, I currently feed the baby bird 2 times per day. I have access to all kinds of veggies and fruits. What is birdie bread? I read about abundance weaning and if possible would prefer to that as (as you, and everything else I read said the same).

When you put fresh veggies and fruit out, should i put it al in one bowl, on a plate spread out, what is best? I also have a question on water I keep his water dish about half full always but I do not think he bothers with it at all...

Thank you for all your help, I really do appreciate it.

OK yeah I can't say I know any breeders in Thailand...lol!

Birdie bread is something made up, you basically combine cornbread muffin mix with different foods - you can add pellets, small bits of fruits and veggies, baby food puree like sweet potato... anything really! Then you bake it and serve it to them out of the oven, and you can refrigerate it to keep for a few days. My birds go crazy for it! There are lots of recipes you can try online.

With offering fruits and veggies, cut them up into bite-size pieces and offer them on a plate so baby can get to them easily. With the water you could show him what is in the dish, perhaps he sees the clear water and thinks there is nothing in there. Have you tried bathing him? Perhaps with a spray bath or mist he will begin to understand that water is tasty and will learn to preen himself.

Hey BKK, thanks for seeking advice here, it can be tricky weaning.

My 3.5 month old eclectus is a bit further ahead but she's not on full fresh foods either yet.

How's your boy with the formula? Is he gobbling it down or is he losing interest in it? If he's still keen on formula I'd say to keep feeding that until he starts wanting something else.

My own breeder got me to feed my bird mashed vegetables. It's soft like formula but it's got 3-4 different types of vegies in it. My bird loves it.

I'm starting to mix finely copped fresh veg + grains in the mash (one teaspoon at a time) and she's not throwing too much out. The intention is to slowly increase until she's only eating the chop.

Do a search on the forums for "chop" - there are tonnes of recipies you can use for that. Make it in bulk so you're not slaving over the kitchen too much!

Keep offering the variety of fresh stuff to try, he will get used to the texture even if he just plays with it all.

Also, if you haven't already - get a scale (that measures in grams) and weigh him every morning before his first feed. That will tell you accurately if you're on the right track. (My bird's slowly putting on weight so that puts my mind at ease).

Good luck, there's tonnes of info here!

@itzjbean

Ok thank you I will try that mix, as well as I will place veggies on a plate. I have not tried to bath baby yet, earlier he did not have all his feathers so I was worried he may become too cold. But now he seems to have all his feathers so I will try with a plant water mister and see if he likes it or not. Thank you again for all your advice, I am from Florida (originally Pa) but moved here for work.. Have a good evening.

@Soyajam Thank you for the advice, this is all great info, as I said my biggest concern was I just want the bird to be healthy and dont want to cause any undue stress or troubles that I caused and could have avoided by asking those that know

Take care and thank you again for your advice and help I really do appreciate it.

How old is your baby?
Let the bird decide when it wants to be weaned. Rushing the weaning process can be detrimental to your bird's mental health. Having a CAG that's 4-5 months old is the norm for when they usually decide on their own that they want to be weaned.

Hi, If you are unable to find a breeder to help you or a qualified avian vet which I know are few and far between in Thailand a good idea may be to ask at a zoo that keeps birds. The keepers will have pretty good knowledge on birds so should be able to help you

@Greytness he is about 17 weeks old. Thank you for your advice and assistance.

A great birdie-bread recipe if you feel like creating from scratch:
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/65841-poppy-s-jolly-jungle-bread.html

@Scott, @itzjbean @greytness

Thank you guys and everyone for your advice, my Grey loves birdie bread he eats that like crazy. And I noticed now he also is starting to try to eat chopped up veggies I put on a dish in his cage. He is still a little unsure about his water bowl, but definetly making progress.

I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you guys.

That's fabulous! I'm glad he's doing better!

@Soyajam thank you... How much of that birdie bread should he eat I just put the below into it I got the receipe from the forum here.

1 Box Jiffy muffin mix
4 Eggs with shells
2 TblSpoon of Millet
2 Cups of chopped up veggies (from food processor)
1 medium banana
and about 1/8C water...

He ate almost 1/2 a muffin this morning (they are about 3/4 the size of a normal sized muffin. And I think he actually ate at least half...